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State commits $1.8M to stormwater work

Staff Writer
8:44 p.m. CDT May 23, 2014

Pensacola will receive $1.8 million from the state to address pollution in Pensacola Bay.

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Muddy water flows from Bayou Texar into Pensacola Bay a day after last month’s flood. The state has given the city of Pensacola some $1.8 million to address nutrient pollution in Pensacola Bay.
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Ben Twingley/btwingley@pnj.com
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The city of Pensacola will receive some $1.8 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to address nutrient pollution in Pensacola Bay.

The money — to be supplemented with $1.25 million in matching funds from the city — will go toward a series of projects in East Pensacola Heights. The work includes modifications to an existing stormwater retention pond at the intersection of Langley Avenue and U.S. 90, construction of a new retention pond off Spanish Trail, and the installation of an educational stormwater kiosk at Pensacola Bay Bluffs Park.

The first project is intended to divert water from Langley Pond under Langley Avenue and through Gaberonne Swamp — allowing more nutrients to settle out before the runoff empties into the bay. The second project would absorb and treat additional runoff that is currently discharged into the swamp.

Combined, the improvements are expected to substantially reduce the volume of nutrients flowing into the bay. According to the DEP, the work will result in a 58 percent reduction for nitrogen and a 72 percent reduction for phosphorus.

Keith Wilkins, director of the Escambia County Department of Community and Environment, said Friday that the projects were needed to address persistent water quality problems in the region.

"The primary contaminants across the northern Gulf Coast are nutrients and sediment loading," he said. "Stormwater treatment is vitally important to improving water quality."

According to the DEP, nutrient pollution can cause algae blooms, lead to mass fish kills and harm seagrass and oyster beds. In a statement issued Friday, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward said he was glad to receive the assistance from the state.

"Since I took office, investing in infrastructure and safeguarding our environment have been top priorities," the mayor said, "... By partnering with DEP, we're able once again to do more with less and further improve water quality in Pensacola Bay."